Maryland Mall has commissioned its LED advertisement screen, the largest in West Africa and the 50th in the world. The LED screen is already a major attraction with its Twitter fountain scroller, video playback capability and a Feedticker. These would make it a socially interactive board and one in which advertisers can utilise for full engagement of the public.

According to the developers, Purple Capital Partners Limited, it took about 18 months from concept to finish of the mall. The screen measures 60 metres long and nine metres high. The developers are confident that the size and its position would offer brands great value.

Managing Partner at Purple Capital Partners Limited, Mr. Olaide Agboola, said the platform would be a major advertising point for the biggest brands in the country. No wonder the likes of Stanbic IBTC have taken a slot on the screen already. “We have other strong brands and we are having discussions with others to come on board,” Agboola added.

On the strategic location of the screen, Agboola said research shows that over 5,500 vehicles pass through the axis in all directions every hour, noting, “The exposure every brand will get is quite significant considering the traffic on Ikorodu Road. This is clearly a major hub for any advertising activity”.

He explained that the screen is such a technical one that can do live streaming, adding, “But what we want to do commercially is to allow brands to display for seconds in a circle. This will go round from about 5am to 1am; that is, 20 hours of screening”.

On whether Purple Capital, which is not an advertisement agency, would contract the board out for management, Agboola said the company hoped to continue to get technical support from Rotter Panel in Holland, the suppliers of the board while there would be local training and self-marketing of the board by the company. Adding, “We want to make sure that every business can negotiate directly to get on the board”.

While speaking on the Mall and its architectural design, Agboola further said Purple Capital, a real estate and financial services company, has taken entertainment and cinema to the top level, saying that the mall is perhaps the first designed by an indigenous architect.

The mall’s architect, , said the big screen was part of the plan from the beginning and that the whole planning was for horizontal and vertical revenue opportunity.

“It is an intelligent screen,” he stated. “At night, the board can be brighter and during the day, it dims itself. It can also show motion and still images. It is also interactive.